A world-shaking explosion swept across the entire sky. Bege and Kemon, bearing the brunt of the blast, were hurled extremely far. Then, two streaks of light, like meteors, tore through the sky and swiftly collided again.
A deafening roar, and an even more immense torrent of lightning burst forth.
"Old geezer, you can't hold out much longer, can you?" Bege taunted immediately after forcing Kemon back, who was now bent over, coughing up blood.
"Little whelp, you're far too green to kill me!" Kemon forcefully swallowed the blood rising in his throat and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. A cold glint surged in his lightning-filled vertical pupils.
He began to emit lightning over a wide area—no, it was more accurate to say he was erupting with lightning. The grievous wounds on his body began to heal at a visible rate, even his shattered scales regrowing.
Bege knew he was about to go all out, and his own expression turned grave.
"Even if I have to sacrifice this old life of mine today, I will take you down with me!"
"Old geezer, the new era has no ship to carry you. So obediently crawl back into the grave of history!" With a cold sneer, Bege's ferocious aura erupted. Blood-colored energy coiled around his body and wreathed his Fire Cloud Sword. His eyes, brutal and fierce, met Kemon's challenge without flinching.
"Then I'll just have to drag you down with me!" Kemon roared, taking the initiative. His entire being transformed into lightning, charging towards Bege at explosive speed.
Sword and fist clashed savagely once more—sword qi and lightning crushing, shattering, and blasting against each other. Both their faces were contorted in extreme ferocity, twisted with the effort as they poured all their strength into the exchange.
With a thunderous roar, Bege blasted Kemon back. Kemon's expression tightened, and endless lightning surged from his body. He stomped on the air, shattering it, and charged at Bege again.
But as he neared Bege, the space around him seemed to transform into a swamp, a vortex. It felt as if invisible, giant hands had grasped his body, the very space constricting him. His speed plummeted instantly, and the lightning around him rapidly dimmed, like a freshly erupted volcano suddenly falling silent.
A strange smile played on Bege's lips.
"This area is my territory. You've entered the wrong place."
"Within my territory, I am the king."
Bege's externalized space had already reached an extent of three meters. Within this three-meter radius, it was all territory under Bege's control, just like the space within his internal castle. Three years of honing his abilities had given him a deeper understanding of the Castle-Castle Fruit. He was no longer limited to the hardness and size of his internal fortress but had begun to develop the ability to project this controlled space outwards. A Castle-Castle Fruit user was like the lord of a castle; he controlled everything within, and now, outside it, he could similarly be a lord who controlled everything.
He could now control the surrounding three meters of space. This three-meter area was his domain; space and matter within it were subject to his will.
When Kemon entered his territory, Bege immediately shackled his speed, intending to deal a heavy blow while Kemon was caught off guard.
Bege's figure flashed, appearing before Kemon as if by teleportation. The Fire Cloud Sword sliced through the space with extreme speed, striking Kemon.
"Too late!"
Kemon's scales tensed all over his body, and his Armament Haki flared to cover him completely, attempting to withstand Bege's strike head-on.
The scales shattered, the Armament Haki crumbled. The Fire Cloud Sword instantly carved a terrifying wound across Kemon's chest. The searing heat of the blade directly cauterized the flesh near the wound, and any blood was evaporated before it could even spurt out.
Kemon's eyes bulged, and he roared in agony.
But in the next second, an immense sense of crisis made Kemon's scalp tingle once more.
Bege's Fire Cloud Sword shot towards Kemon's body again with explosive speed.
At the brink of life and death, Kemon desperately activated his fruit ability. Endless lightning erupted from within him, as violent as a volcanic eruption, surging towards Bege like a tidal wave.
Bege's expression changed, and his figure abruptly retreated. The three-meter territory rapidly shrank, forming an incredibly solid, invisible wall just a few centimeters from his body. The gushing lightning was blocked by this unyielding, unseen barrier.
The larger the extent of his externalized space, the more dispersed his control. If he only controlled a few centimeters of externalized space, he could make that space into the hardest possible invisible wall, its defensive capabilities astonishingly beyond imagination.
With the externalized space shrunk, Kemon was no longer bound. The erupting lightning rapidly converged on his fist. Enduring his wounds, he charged at Bege once more.
"Thunder Fist!"
A powerful pillar of lightning blasted towards Bege. Bege slashed at the pillar, and the erupting lightning engulfed him, sending him flying into the distance.
Kemon clutched his chest, continuously spewing blood. The charred flesh around his wound began to peel off, revealing fresh, tender tissue growing beneath.
But in an instant, he raised his head again and saw Bege rushing towards him at high speed. With immense willpower, he re-gathered lightning on his fist.
Bege closed the distance rapidly. Kemon flung his hand, sending bolts of lightning flying out, but Bege paid them no mind. As the lightning entered his externalized space, it was swiftly deflected, flying past him.
In the blink of an eye, Bege was upon Kemon, slashing down with his sword.
Kemon roared, lightning erupting from his entire body, but he once again felt that invisible force suppressing him. His speed instantly slowed. His face filled with horror as he continuously unleashed lightning, the restraints on him gradually weakening.
He hastily coated his right fist with Armament Haki and punched towards the Fire Cloud Sword.
However, the Fire Cloud Sword uncannily changed direction, sliding down his arm and striking his shoulder, shattering scales, tearing flesh, and biting into bone. Flames erupted within the wound.
Kemon howled in pain and kicked at Bege.
Bege's figure flickered, dodging Kemon's attack and appearing at his side. He slashed at Kemon again, tearing through the lightning around him and carving another gruesome wound.
"Old geezer, you're finished," Bege sneered. Kemon's stamina was already no match for Bege's, and the repeated bursts of lightning had pushed him to his limit. Now, bound by the externalized space, his speed couldn't compare to Bege's at all.
Bege moved like a ghost, his sword striking Kemon again and again. After more than ten slashes, the lightning around Kemon rapidly dissipated, and his body began to fall towards the sea.
Bege grabbed Kemon. Seastone handcuffs flew out from his internal castle, quickly cuffing Kemon's hands. Bege then tossed him into a cell within his body-fortress.
"The Mythical Zoan: Thunder Lizard Fruit is mine."
A smile appeared on Bege's face. He sheathed his sword and took a deep breath, his face slightly pale. Controlling a strong opponent's speed was extremely draining on his mental energy. This was why he hadn't used his externalized space from the beginning. He had first worn down Kemon's stamina, and only when it was greatly depleted did he deploy his new ability, catching Kemon completely off guard and playing a decisive role.
Bege looked down at the battle situation below. The fight on the warships had long since concluded. With Little Oars Jr.'s help, the five escort ships had been easily capsized. Enel's lightning had continuously erupted in the sea, electrocuting all the Marines who had fallen overboard.
On the large flagship, Moria and the others had crushed their opponents. The Marine officers and CP organization members were either dead or captured. Not a single one had escaped.